When it comes to poker hotties, it doesn’t get any better than Kelly Hu‘s Chinese, Hawaiian, English and Filipino features. An actress and former model, Kelly Hu held the title of Miss Teen USA in 1985. She has also starred in such films as X2, Cradle 2 the Grave and The Scorpion King.
Aloha, Kelly
Kelly Ann Hu was born on February 13th, 1968 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her mother, Juanita, was employed by the state as a engineering drafter, while her father, Herbert, was an exotic bird feeder and salesman. Hu has an older brother, Glenn, who currently serves as a lieutenant colonel in the Army.
While she was still a young girl, Kelly’s parents divorced. Despite instability at home, Kelly was outgoing and displayed an interest in singing and dancing. Also proficient in martial arts, Kelly’s brother would often arrange for her to fight against neighborhood boys.
She would attend Ma’ema’e Elementary School in Honolulu and later Kamehameha Schools. During high school, Kelly enrolled in the Drama Club every semester for four years. After moving to the continental United States, Kelly would later receive her college degree from Pepperdine University in Malibu, California.
Strike a Pose
Kelly’s cousin was a model in Japan, and Hu decided to pursue modeling as a career. To increase her profile, she entered the Miss Hawaii Teen USA contest in 1985. She won and then went on to capture the Miss Teen USA crown, becoming the first Asian American to do so.
It was only after she won that Hu learned she was barred from all non-contest activities for the next year. Modeling would have to wait - at least for a year.
After fulfilling her duties as Miss Teen USA, Hu started working in both Italy and Japan. She became especially popular in Italy for a series of Philadelphia Brand Cream Cheese commercials (playing a Japanese college student).
Making Her Mark in Hollywood
In 1987, she moved to Los Angeles to embark on an acting career. She landed a guest role as a Hawaiian girl on Growing Pains, and then went on to appear on shows such as 21 Jump Street, Melrose Place, Night Court and Tour of Duty.
Her first movie role came in Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, and Kelly then turned her attention back to the pageant circuit. In 1993, she won the title of Miss Hawaii USA and later competed in the Miss USA event (where she finished 4th).
Kelly Hu Nude - Kelly Hu Naked - KellyHu.com
The movie and television roles kept coming, and Kelly started making a name for herself in action films following 1995’s No Way Back. She would later appear on Sunset Beach (Dr. Rae Chang), Nash Bridges (Michelle Chan), Martial Law (Grace Chen) and Threat Matrix (Agent Mia Chen). She was also featured in the pages of Maxim in May 2002 and May 2005. Kelly Hu has not posed for nude photography.
Current and upcoming projects include the television series In Case of Emergency and the films Stilleto and The Farmhouse. You can also catch Kelly Hu all over the Internet and in various sexy magazine layouts and on her website kellyhu.com.
Kelly Hu - Passionate Poker Player
A dedicated poker player, Hu has taken part in both the World Poker Tour and World Series of Poker. She has also played in a number of other tournaments, including the WPT Celebrity Charity in March of 2008. In 2006, she finished in the top 200 at the WSOP Ladies’ Tournament, playing against other celebrities like Mimi Rogers and Mena Suvari.
Kelly currently lives alone in Brentwood, Los Angeles, and she has never been married. Hard to believe, given the good looks and talent of this poker hottie.
